


Forbidden Love

by Nuuhtella



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, F/M, Falling In Love, Love Triangles, Love/Hate, M/M, POV Percy Weasley, Percy Weasley-centric, Percy/Oliver Writer's Support Network
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-08 23:21:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13468749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nuuhtella/pseuds/Nuuhtella
Summary: Percy Weasley has entered his final year of Hogwarts with a steady girlfriend and a shiny new Head Boy badge. His future is laid out in front of him and it all seems perfect. Or at least, it was. Suddenly, Percy is confused in more ways than one and desperately needs to figure out what he wants before everyone he loves gets hurt.





	1. Prologue

Giving up on his homework for the night, Percy Weasley left the library to go and take a bath. He went to retrieve his bath bag from his dormitory in Gryffindor tower. As he descended the spiral staircase, one of the twins threw a satin-covered cushion at him. Deciding that they weren't worth his time, Percy stalked past them and went through the Portrait hole and made his way to the Prefects bathroom.

Upon entering the room, he didn't immediately notice that he was not, in fact, alone. This was because his thoughts were focused entirely on a particularly difficult essay question that Professor McGonagall had set the N.E.W.T. class earlier that day. Percy glanced upwards to find that in the Olympic-pool sized bathtub sat none other than Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. Oliver looked up at Percy, raising one eyebrow in surprise. Heat flushed to Percy’s face and he clutched his towel and bath bag a little tighter against his body.

“Sorry, I er- didn’t think anyone would be here,” said Percy, chuckling nervously.

“That’s alright.” Wood smiled. “Come and join me, why don’t you.”

Percy stood dumbfounded, unsure of how to proceed. Eventually, his want for a bath won out. Hanging up his bathrobe, Percy proceeded to get into the frothing concoction a good distance away from Oliver, setting his towel on the side behind him. Looking over at Oliver, Percy saw the handsome boy studying him as he settled down. As soon as Oliver caught his eye he gave Percy a dazzling smile that would have lit up any room.

“I, um, forgot that Quidditch Captains had use of these bathrooms too,” said Percy, finally breaking the silence.

“Aye,” said Oliver, not taking his eyes off Percy. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen _you_ in here before, either.”

“No.” Percy gulped as Oliver moved closer to him. “I like my privacy.”

“I can tell,” said Oliver, inches away from him now.

Oliver finally caught his eye, as he had been determinedly staring over his shoulder, and Percy found himself trapped by Oliver’s magnificent gaze. Without thinking, Percy leant in and kissed Oliver for the first time in months. Oliver began to kiss Percy back, tugging lightly on his curly, red hair. The kiss intensified, each of them feeling as much of each other’s bodies as possible. It was as though they each had a desire to devour one another completely.

“I’ve missed you,” said Percy breathlessly, as Wood trailed kisses all up his neck and across his face towards his lips.

“I’ve. Missed. You. Too,” Wood replied between kisses.

With a groan, Percy gave in and allowed himself to be swept up into the familiar experience. He could feel every fibre of his body wanting Oliver to consume him. Each touch felt as though an electric current was running through his body at the point of contact. It was mesmerising. Percy faintly noticed that it seemed that Oliver was as desperate for him as much as he was for Oliver. Their bodies were pressed tightly against one another's while their hands explored parts of each other’s bodies they hadn't dared venture before.

 _It is strange,_  Percy thought.  _That such pleasures can be gained through something I would never have previously considered._

 Percy ran his hands up and down Oliver's muscular body, feeling every sensual curve of his torso and arms. He could feel Oliver's need for him escalating and he liked it. In fact, Oliver's need mirrored the need Percy was feeling. And it was consuming his entire form.

Abruptly, Oliver pulled away and moved to sit a fair distance away from him. Percy didn't understand his actions until he heard the patter of feet walking over to the benches that lined the sides of the room, presumably to collect a forgotten possession. Oliver gave Percy a secret grin before heaving himself out from the foam-filled bath, gathering his things, and heading out of the bathroom. Percy slumped down into the bubbles, feeling as confused as ever. 

_What have I just done?_


	2. One

The great scarlet steam engine stood on the tracks of platform nine and three quarters, waiting patiently for its passengers to board. Fathers were lugging their children's heavy trunks onto the train whilst mothers caught up with their old school friends. Students were greeting their mates and chatting animatedly about their summer holidays while moaning about the upcoming school year.

As the clock on the station wall wound closer to eleven, more and more children were saying goodbye to their parents before boarding the train.

One family, in particular, arrived rather late, as per usual, leaving only ten precious minutes spare before the train was due to leave. There were nine of them accompanied by their luggage. All of them had bright red hair, except for the one skinny teenage boy, who had jet black hair and brilliant green eyes, and the bushy-haired girl. Two of them carried pet owls, another had a rat in his top pocket, and the bushy-haired girl held a pet carrier which had an equally bushy ginger cat inside.

The eldest of the red-haired children was tall and thin, much like his father, with horn-rimmed spectacles framing his eyes. His name was Percy Weasley. As he spotted his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, Percy quickly kissed his mother goodbye and bid his father farewell before walking over to the curly-haired blonde girl. He walked with his chest slightly pushed out to ensure that she saw the badge. Upon reaching Penelope he gave her a swift hug and peck on the cheek.

"Hello," said Percy, his blue eyes sparkling behind his glasses.

"Hello," said Penelope. As Penelope spotted the gleaming Head Boy badged pinned to Percy's chest, she pointed at it excitedly. "You got the badge! Congratulations!"

"Thank you, darling," he said. He could feel himself blush slightly. "Did you?"

When Penelope nodded, Percy congratulated her before kissing her gently in celebration. Percy then gestured for them to board the train and then the two of them made their way down the platform. As they walked, Penelope offered to carry Hermes as Percy was pulling his trunk. It transpired that Penelope had already loaded her own so her hands were free.

They finally arrived at the prefect's carriage and Percy began to lift his trunk into the luggage rack overhead. It was extremely heavy and he quickly began to struggle. Just as the trunk was about to crush him, a strong hand from the corridor beyond helped to steady it. Looking to his left, Percy was greeted by the soft brown eyes of the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, Oliver Wood. With a slight nod towards his classmate, Percy gave one last push and the two of them managed to get his trunk in its place. He then took the cage housing his own from Penelope and then perched Hermes on top. Percy was a little embarrassed and annoyed about being saved by Oliver, especially in front of Penelope, but his manners won out as he turned to face him.

"Thank you, Wood," said Percy rather stiffly.

He held his hand out to Oliver along with his gesture of thanks. Oliver looked at the extended hand for a moment and grinned. Then, he took it in his own and began shaking Percy's hand enthusiastically.

"No problem, Weasley," said Oliver, still grinning. "Good summer?"

"Very good, thank you. And yours?"

For some reason, all Percy could think about was how warm Oliver's hand felt in his own. He released it as quickly as possible.

"Aye, it was fantastic," said Oliver. "I got a lot of training done and I've been working on some new strategies for the team. I really think we can win this year. Did you do much?"

"Oh, I just did a spot of studying," said Percy. He gave a short laugh. "I wanted to get a head start for the coming year, naturally. N.E.W.T.s are extremely important, you know."

"Aye," said Wood, a small smirk on his face. "That sounds a lot like you." Suddenly noticing Penelope, Oliver gave her a huge smile. "Well hello there, Penelope! Did you have a good summer?"

"It was wonderful thank you, Oliver," said Penelope, smiling coldly back at him.

Percy knew that he and Penelope were on the same wave-length when it came to Oliver Wood and the other juveniles that plagued their school and could tell that she wanted this conversation to be over as soon as possible.

"Alright then, I best be going. See you," said Oliver.

He threw one last warm smile at them, clearly not noticing a thing, before walking off. Percy chuckled to himself.

_Well, brains are not his strong suit._

After Oliver had walked away, Percy closed the compartment door and took the seat next to Penelope. She smiled at him before taking his hand in her own. At that moment, two of their fellow prefects joined them. While the newcomers loaded up their own luggage, Penelope turned to Percy.

"He hasn't changed at all," said Penelope quietly. "He’s still as brutish as ever."

"I know," Percy replied with a smirk. "I often wonder whether his intellect is similar to that of a Troll."

Penelope giggled at that and Percy grinned in return. As their fellow prefects sat down, the train finally began to slowly move forwards as it rolled out of the station. Not long after they had turned the corner and were out of sight of King’s Cross, they took that as their queue. Percy and Penelope went into the compartment opposite in order to greet the new Prefects from the fifth year. They gave them a lengthy lecture regarding their duties and responsibilities before sending them off on their first assignments.

When they had all dispersed, the two of them walked back to their own compartment and made themselves comfortable in the luxurious, poufy seats. For a while, Percy talked animatedly with his fellow prefects, later eating a sizeable lunch. During most of the discussion, Percy spoke in regards to their upcoming N.E.W.T. examinations with his fellow prefect, Robert Hilliard of Ravenclaw.

At four, it was Percy's turn to patrol the corridors and so when it was time, he and Robert said goodbye to the few prefects left in their carriage and began to stroll down the train. A few carriages down, Robert had to stop and reprimand a few second years. Percy carried on without him, giving out stern stares as he went.

Upon reaching a compartment filled with seventh years, including Oliver Wood, Percy threw out his chest and began to strut. As he marched past, Oliver caught Percy's eye and winked at him with a huge grin that lit up his entire face. Strangely, Percy felt his heart flutter beneath his chest and the heat rise in his cheeks. He felt himself turn red and began blinking stupidly when he realised that the wink was for him. Percy hurried on out of sight and leant exhaustedly against the wall of the corridor, breathing heavily.

"Percy," Robert called, hurrying to catch up. "Sorry it took so long. I got a bit waylaid with that lot - you know how second years can be." Robert began to laugh but stopped immediately upon seeing the expression on Percy's face. "Is everything alright, old chap?"

"Of course," said Percy, a little shakily. Plastering a smile on his face he gestured to Robert. "Shall we continue?"

Robert didn't look completely convinced but strolled past him all the same. The atmosphere between them had returned to normal by the time they re-entered the prefect's carriage. When Percy walked in, Penelope claimed his attention immediately as she asked for his input in the prefect’s most recent debate. Glad of the distraction, Percy threw himself into the conversation with more force than he usually would, all but forgetting the day’s second encounter with Oliver Wood.

As they neared the castle, those who had not already changed to their school robes did so. Percy noticed that they all pinned their badges to their chests with great precision. When the train came to a stop, the group alighted to the platform and grabbed a horseless carriage together. They had to reprimand a few unruly younger students as they went but that didn’t dampen their mood.

Once again, Percy began to walk with his chest thrown out as he got out of the carriage. He felt that showing off the badge created an air of authority about him. Hand in hand, Percy and Penelope entered the Great Hall together, only releasing one another when they had to depart to their individual house tables. Percy kissed Penelope on the cheek as they separated and she gave him a quick smile in return.

When Percy took his seat, he greeted a few of his fellow seventh years and gave a nod to the prefects in the lower years who sat a little further down. Soon he became engrossed in the flow of the conversation, not noticing the person who came and sat down opposite him until another voice called attention to him.

"Hi, Oliver," said Angelina Johnson, smiling at her friend and teammate. Alicia Spinnet who was standing beside her was also smiling at him. "Have a nice summer?"

Percy stared incredulously across the table at his classmate for a moment before turning back to his conversation. He was irrationally annoyed by the fact that the man had decided to sit in that particular seat and tried to ignore him. However, to his further annoyance, Percy found that he could not entirely block Oliver out.

"It was great, thanks, yours?" said Oliver.

"Yeah, we got a lot of practising done."

"Good.” He laughed before getting serious. "I've devised some new Quidditch strategies for us. We'll be training harder than ever this year."

"Don't you ever stop and just have fun, Oliver?" said Alicia as Angelina rolled her eyes.

"Who needs fun when there's Quidditch to think about?" said Oliver with a hint of horror in his voice. The girls merely laughed at him.

"See you later, Oliver," said Alicia.

"And try not to think about  _Quidditch_ for at least an hour tonight. If you can."

Angelina winked at Oliver as they departed. The two girls walked down the long table and sat either side of their friend and third chaser, Katie Bell, along with some other fifth and sixth years. The seventh years quickly inducted Oliver into their conversation while Percy tried his hardest not to look at him. 

_Possibly the most obnoxious person I have ever had the bad fortune to meet,_ Percy thought spitefully.  _If only he wasn't so good at Quidditch. Then I would wish him into another house. Though, I'm sure he'd continue with that patronising smile he always gives everybody anyway. Why everybody buys it I have no idea. At least Penelope doesn't._

Upon thinking her name, Percy looked over his shoulder at the Ravenclaw table and smiled at Penelope who was talking with some of her friends. She smiled back and rolled her eyes as she saw who was sitting opposite him. Percy grinned and gave a shrug before turning back to the conversation.

"Oliver,” Harley Berkshire called up the table. "Do you think you can win the cup this year?"

"Oh definitely," said Oliver, grinning at him. "This is our year!"

The other Gryffindors laughed and jeered in response as Percy suppressed a grin. They were quickly quietened as the doors to the Great Hall swung open once again.

Through the doors walked Rubeus Hagrid, swiftly followed by a long line of tiny first years. As they reached the top of the hall, Hagrid set the stool he was carrying onto the floor and placed the weathered hat on top of it. The school listened in earnest as the hat sang its song and then watched as each of the first years tried the hat individually as they were sorted into their houses.

Soon it was time for food and Percy filled his plate. As he ate, Percy surveyed his fellow Gryffindors in order to watch out for any bad behaviour. From time to time, Percy contributed to the conversation but he was too preoccupied in trying to prove that he was the best choice as the new Head Boy. He kept trying to get the headmasters attention but found it impossible. At one point, Percy vaguely noticed his brothers friends, Harry and Hermione, enter the hall along with Professor McGonagall sometime around pudding but he was waiting earnestly for the headmaster’s speech to care too much.

Finally, pudding was over and Percy sat a little higher in his seat. While the headmaster spoke, Percy paid complete attention to him, swelling with pride as he mentioned him as the new Head Boy. He also mentioned the two new members of staff. The new Defence teacher looked extremely shabby, his robes were frayed and he had several scars on his face. However, even he was a better choice than the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher that was announced. Apparently, the headmaster had gone completely mad over the summer and had given the appointment to Hagrid, the groundskeeper.

Too soon, the speech was over. As one entity, the entire school scraped back their benches and moved towards the entrance hall. Percy gave a stern look to the new fifth year prefects in order to remind them to herd the first years. Then he followed the crowd of students through to the entrance hall, looking for Penelope. He spotted her at the bottom of the marble staircase where she was waiting for him and they began to walk up the stairs together, holding hands.

"Well, that new Professor seems a bit… how to put it delicately?"

She smirked.

"Now now, Penelope," said Percy, amused. "Appearances _can_ be deceiving."

 Penelope laughed nastily at that.

"Perhaps, you’re right. But you have to admit that having that giant oaf, Hagrid, as a professor is a bit of a joke. You cannot insist that appearances are deceiving  _there."_

"Perhaps not, though you have to admit that he will be good with the animals. Regardless, I don’t take that class so it doesn't affect me in the slightest."

She laughed again. When they reached the top of the staircase, Penelope stopped and turned to face him as the other students milled around them.

"See you at breakfast," said Penelope.

She smiled and gave him a kiss goodnight before walking up the opposite staircase. Percy blushed and had a dreamy grin plastered on his face all the way to Gryffindor tower. Upon reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady, he found a few younger students standing outside, clearly waiting for someone with the password. He pushed passed them all and loudly called out.

“ _Fortuna Major.”_

After the portrait swung forwards, he climbed through the hole and emerged into the common room. Stopping only to tell off a few unruly third years, Percy strode across the room and went up the boy’s staircase. He entered his dormitory to find all of his dorm mates already there and doing a spot of unpacking before bed. He smiled a hello at them all and walked over to his own four-poster bed.

Immediately, Percy hung up his uniforms and placed his books on the shelf beside his bed. Deciding he’d unpack the rest the next day, he pulled on his blue pin-striped pyjamas and got into his warm bed. The other boys laughed and joked a little before getting into their own beds, though Percy didn’t mind as he understood their need to talk.

At one point, Percy made the mistake of looking over at Oliver who was only wearing pyjama bottoms as per usual. Oliver shot him a suggestive smile which made Percy feel slightly flustered. Percy didn’t like that at all and found Oliver extremely annoying. With a scowl on his face, Percy pulled the hangings around his bed shut and turned over on his side, willing himself to fall asleep. 

_Stupid, obnoxious, brute._


	3. Two

For the first few weeks, Percy dove back into his studies with a greater vigour than was strictly necessary. It was his final year at Hogwarts and he would be taking his N.E.W.T. examinations in June, after which he hoped to get a job at the Ministry. He liked to imagine that the people at the Ministry would be so impressed by him that he’d immediately be asked to become head of one department or another. Therefore, there was no way that Percy would take any chances of his dream not becoming a reality, especially after he had worked so hard already.

A healthy balance of studying, his Head Boy duties, and time spent with his friends was all he needed to get by. His mother had also asked him to keep a closer eye on Ron’s close friend, Harry, due to the escape of the notorious mass murderer, Sirius Black. Percy was more than happy to oblige and took the task extremely seriously. He checked in on the younger boy at least once per day, making excuses of which he was sure Harry had fallen for. All of this was rather trying, with the increase in homework and his duties, but he knew that it would be worth it. Furthermore, Percy knew that he was more than capable of rising to the challenge.

After dinner, he began to patrol the corridors with Penelope. Around half an hour in, Penelope left him to complete their duties alone because Penelope wanted to get an early night. The corridors at night were incredibly eerie, but Percy was used to that by now. He had been walking them at night for the past two years, after all.

He decided to do one last sweep of the corridors before heading up to bed. His watch showed it to already be quarter to eleven and he had an essay that needed finishing off before the morning. As he climbed the staircase, Percy’s mind focused on the comments Professor Vector had written at the bottom of his previous essay. They were mostly excellent, of course, though he was still troubled by one remark Vector had written.

‘ _Not your best work.’_

If Professor Vector had given him a poor grade on the essay, then Percy would have understood. However, the woman had given him an Outstanding, the highest grade you could get. Percy had no idea how he could have done any better.

As soon as he entered the common room Percy didn’t waste any time. He went and grabbed his essay and sat at one of the study desks so he could finish his conclusion. Thankfully, the common room was empty so he wouldn’t be disturbed. The only sounds he could hear were the crackling of the fire and the scratching of his own quill upon parchment.

Halfway through his final paragraph, Percy began to yawn, despite the fact that he had only been working for ten minutes. He had to admit that the potions essay was exceptionally tedious, even by Professor Snape’s standards. Percy let out another long yawn, stretching his arms widely above his head as he did so. He reluctantly started back on his conclusion, only having a little left to finish.

As Percy wrote the final sentence, a small cough interrupted him. He turned in his chair to find none other than Oliver Wood standing behind him.

“Ah… good evening, Oliver,” said Percy warily.

Percy wasn’t much in the mood for an interaction with his least favourite dorm mate. As Oliver moved next to him, Percy let out an inward sigh.

“Hullo, Percy,” said Oliver. “What’re you doing up so late?”

“I’m just finishing off the essay on healing potions for Snape. What about you?”

“Really? I thought _you_ of all people would have finished that by now. I was just going over some Quidditch moves, myself.”

“That’s nice.”

“Oh, it is.” Oliver unrolled the large scroll he was carrying on top of Percy’s homework which irked him to no end. “See here, this formation is a tricky one. I’m sure Angelina, Alicia, and Katie are up for the challenge but then there’s the seeker to think about.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, but I-“

“And see here the _Double Eight Loop_. I’ve been practising that one day and night.”

“That’s wonderful, Oliver. I really need to finish this off now though.”

“Say no more, Head Boy. Say no more. I’ll get out of your hair. Night”

Oliver rolled up his scroll and moved towards the boy’s staircase.

“Goodnight, Oliver,” said Percy stiffly.

Percy watched as Oliver paused for a moment at the foot of the stairs. He looked as though he wanted to say something but, instead, Oliver shook his head and carried on climbing the stairs. For a split second, Percy wondered what it could be. Then, deciding that he didn’t care, Percy bent his head back over his essay and wrote as quickly as possible. It had been a rather irritating and time-consuming interruption. By half past eleven, Percy had finally finished his essay. Gathering up his things, Percy made his way up to bed, too consumed by his thoughts to notice that Oliver’s usual snores were absent.

~P~

“… and I want six and a half feet on _‘The Byzantine Empire:  The Foundation of Arithmancy?’_ to be handed in on the fourteenth of November. See you Friday.”

The entire class hastily stuffed books into their bags, eager to head to dinner. Percy chose to lag behind in order to have the conversation regarding the comment Professor Vector made on his last essay. He told Penelope that he would see her after dinner and, after a quick kiss, she left with a group of their friends.

One of the Ravenclaws had already claimed Professor Vector’s attention and so Percy perched himself on the edge of a desk, waiting patiently for the two of them to finish their conversation. The Ravenclaw student, whom Percy vaguely knew, gave him a swift smile as she left. As the door snapped shut behind the girl, Percy approached the desk. Professor Vector looked up from whatever she had been writing and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Mr Weasley,” she said. “How can I help?”

“Well, I am troubled by one of the remarks you made regarding my latest essay.”

“Oh, yes?”

“Yes. You see, you graded it as outstanding but then wrote that it was not my _best_ work. How could one do better in such a thing? Seeing as you thought it was not my _best_ work, which implies that there was room for improvement, how could you then contradict that by grading it as outstanding?”

“I see,” said Professor Vector. She paused for a moment and set down her quill. “Mr Weasley, I wrote that you could do better because you can. However, your work was still outstanding in itself. I know that you have far more potential than you showed in that past essay. It is as though you have gotten so comfortable with your grades that you believe that you no longer need to push yourself. That being said, if you can honestly tell me that you tried your utmost hardest and gave one hundred and ten percent to that essay, then I will be happy to retract that comment. So, the only question now is, can you?”

“Well… I- I suppose not, no.”

“Good, I am glad you have admitted that. From here on out I expect you to put one hundred and _twenty_ percent into everything you do.”

“Yes Professor,” said Percy.

“In that case, I expect to see good things from you with this next essay. Now, goodbye, Mr Weasley.”

“Of course. Goodbye, Professor.”

After the dismissal, Percy turned on his heel and left the classroom. As he walked to dinner, Percy’s mind focused entirely on her words. For the most part, the meeting had made him feel better about the entire situation. However, it had also made him realise that he had, in fact, been coasting for a while. That thought made him shudder, he wouldn’t achieve his goals if he didn’t continue to work hard, and so Percy resolved to make sure he tried his hardest with their next essay. From now on, he would not allow himself to slack even for a moment.

Due to his newfound determination, Percy hurriedly shovelled down a dinner of Sheppard’s pie before grabbing his bag and heading straight to the library. Penelope was sitting at their usual table with their small study group. She smiled when he sat down next to her before turning back to the essay she was writing. Percy didn’t follow the conversation very well that evening as he was trying to knuckle down on his studies. At half-past eight, Penelope reminded him that they had their patrol to complete. The two of them bid their friends goodbye and departed to walk the familiar halls together.

“What did Professor Vector say?” said Penelope.

“She told me that I haven’t been trying my hardest, that I’ve gotten so comfortable in my abilities that I have let myself slack. After our conversation, I have to say that I agree with her,” said Percy.

“Well then, it’s fortuitous that you have come to that conclusion. I have full confidence that from now on you will put everything you have into your work. You’ve always been fantastic at whatever you put your mind to.”

“Thank you, darling,” said Percy, smiling at her.

He paused for a moment to steal a kiss. Percy pecked her sweetly on the lips. After that, Percy took Penelope’s hand and began to walk down the hallway once more. However, Penelope pulled him back, causing them to come to a stop. It was then that Percy realised that they had happened upon a deserted corridor to his utter delight. Penelope pulled him in for a kiss.

The touch of her lips filled him with the familiar warmth he loved so much. Penelope’s hands entangled themselves in his hair and Percy held her closely as he gripped her by the waist. They broke apart as they heard the echo of footsteps, although Percy was fairly sure that neither of them wanted to stop. It was as though Penelope could read his mind as she silently motioned for him to follow her. Penelope grabbed his hand and pulled him through the door a few steps to their left. Percy locked it with a wave of his wand and the two of them continued where they left off.

Their kiss became more intense behind the closed door. Penelope wrapped her arms around his neck, this time pressing her body tightly against his. With a flick of his wand, Percy locked the door and also dropped his bag to the floor in the same motion. His fingers gripped Penelope’s hips as he kissed her back. They had kissed on many previous occasions but this time, it felt more intense than ever before.

They were moving slowly further into the classroom before being halted in their tracks by one of the desks. Without breaking the kiss, Penelope hopped onto the desk and pulled Percy closer, wrapping her legs around his body. Percy felt himself harden and tried desperately to make sure she couldn’t feel it. Her hands pulled his V-necked jumper over his head and then Penelope began to fumble with the buttons on his shirt. Percy loosened her tie as quickly as he could, pulling it off and throwing it over his shoulder. He then pushed Penelope’s cardigan off before planting soft kisses all over her throat.

In the next instant, Penelope had begun fumbling with the buckle on his belt and then successfully unbuttoned his black trousers. With a seductive smile and a small push to his chest to move him backwards, Penelope knelt down on the floor and pulled down both his trousers and boxer briefs in one fluid motion. Percy let out a gasp of surprise as she took him in her mouth. He gripped the desk for support, groaning with mounting pleasure. It had been quite a while since they had last done this, and the pleasure seemed to be far more exquisite than he remembered. The friction of her mouth increased. He knew that the moment would be coming very soon.

“Oh fuck,” Percy moaned loudly.

At that precise moment, Penelope pulled away. The sly smile she gave him told Percy that she knew exactly what that was doing to him. And she clearly liked it. Her teasing turned him on even more if that were possible. Percy pulled her upright and began kissing his girlfriend with increased urgency.

His hands wandered over various parts of her body, lingering upon her beautiful, round buttocks. With great haste, Percy removed what was left of Penelope’s clothing so that they were both completely naked. They continued to explore one another’s bodies with both their hands and lips. Percy began to gently rub Penelope’s sweet spot. He loved the moans she was emitting and it thrilled him to know that he was the cause. Once again, she pushed him away.

“If we’re going to finally do this, I want to do it right,” said Penelope.

“Do what? You- do you mean…?” said Percy. Penelope nodded and smiled encouragingly at him. “I- I- we’ve never… done that before.”

“Don’t you want to?” said Penelope, frowning.

“Oh no, it’s not that. I’m just not sure if we’re ready yet, darling. I’m not sure if I’m ready yet.”

“Why not? What’s stopping you? We have done many other things, after all.”

“I know, I know. I just don’t want to do something that either one of us will regret. It’s a rather large step from this to _that._ ”

“You think it would be a _mistake_?”

“No, no! Not at all!” said Percy, stricken.

“Good,” said Penelope, visibly relaxing. “Neither do I. We love one another. We are promised only to one other. I am ready for this. We are ready for this. I want to do this with you and only you.”

Penelope stood on her tiptoes and kissed Percy lightly on the lips.

“Okay,” said Percy, smiling at her. “I’m ready too. Let’s… let’s do this.”

As he said the words, Percy found that he actually meant them. He loved her and knew that she was the one. A huge smile lit up Penelope’s face. She grabbed her wand from the floor and transfigured four of the desks into a beautiful four-poster bed, complete with gorgeous silk bedding. Percy removed his glasses and set them down on a nearby desk.

With a small smile, Percy took Penelope’s hand and led her over to the bed. They climbed on and knelt at opposite ends of the bed, facing one another. Percy gazed into Penelope’s eyes. He could feel his ears burning with excitement and could see Penelope blushing deeply. With a playful push, Penelope was suddenly on top of him. She giggled happily before resuming their previous kiss. After a few minutes, Percy rolled them over so he was on top and pulled away in order to look down at her. Penelope smiled shyly up at him and gave a small nod to indicate that she was ready.

“Wait,” said Percy. “I’ve just had a thought. I did not bring any, er, safety measures, darling. Do you have anything?”

“Oh, yes!” said Penelope, jumping up and retrieving a vial of purple-coloured potion from her bag. She drank half of the potion before handing the rest to him.

“Uh, how long have you been carrying this around?”

Penelope rolled her eyes. “Just drink it!”

Percy downed the potion in one and let the vial fall to the floor. He began to kiss Penelope with mounting urgency. Her hands pulled his body closer. The heat that passed between them was as far from unpleasant as possible. A sharp gasp escaped Penelope’s lips as their bodies intertwined. Of pain or pleasure he was not sure, but what he was certain of was the pleasure he himself could feel. He looked down into Penelope’s shining eyes.

“Are you alright, my darling?” he said breathlessly.

“More than alright,” said Penelope.

She reached up and caressed his cheek softly with the palm of her hand. Percy kissed her once again and the two of them fell into each other. Time lost all meaning. His only desire was for the moment to never end. For a while, it seemed as though it never would. They spiralled deeper into oblivion, the only two left in their entire world.

 


	4. Three

Over the next few weeks, Percy walked around with an increased spring in his step. He felt like a new man, completely assured in himself. Although another opportunity to make love had not presented itself, Percy didn’t mind. He knew it would happen eventually and was in no rush. In fact, Percy just wanted to spend as much time with Penelope as possible, no matter what they were doing. And it seemed that Penelope was as eager as him in that regard which made Percy even happier.

However, it was their N.E.W.T. year and they both took their studies extremely seriously. Because of this, most of their time was spent in the library or the Prefect’s common room and all they tended to do was study. They hadn’t even been scheduled on a patrol together for almost a month and so barely had any time to themselves.

They decided to take some time off when the first Quidditch match of the season arrived. It was originally supposed to be Gryffindor versus Slytherin but, due to an unforeseen injury of one of the Slytherin players, Gryffindor would be playing Hufflepuff instead. The last-minute change was slightly annoying but nothing the Gryffindor team couldn’t handle.

Percy walked down to the pitch with Penelope. They were both sporting Gryffindor colours because Ravenclaw wasn’t playing and so Penelope had generously decided to lend her support to his house team. As they passed the changing rooms, Percy craned his head to see if he could get a glimpse of his brothers. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of Oliver Wood doing up his robes over his bare chest. For some unknown reason, Percy suddenly felt a little breathless and his skin started tingling. He immediately looked away, embarrassed.

The two of them finally arrived at their seats which some of the other prefects had saved for them. They cast a spell to keep themselves dry as the rain was pouring down. During the match, Percy became distracted. All he could think about was the image of Oliver without his robes. He tried to focus on the game and eradicate it from his mind but it was proving difficult. Penelope kept asking him what was wrong but Percy just continued to assure her that he was fine. There was no way he could tell her what was wrong.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the stadium changed. A sudden chill came over him which had nothing to do with the weather. He started to remember horrible things. The time Ginny had been taken into the Chamber by the heir of Slytherin _._ When Bill was hospitalised after an accident had occurred in one of his Egyptian pyramids. Percy could see him lying, bloodied and bandaged and unsure whether he’d live. When he held a crying Fred as George lay unconscious at their feet, having just fallen from his broom.

The memories swirled through his mind. One quick look at Penelope and Percy confirmed that he wasn’t the only person affected. He looked down at the pitch and finally saw what was causing it. Around a hundred Dementors were stood on the ground, their faces looking up at the sky.

Penelope let out a piercing scream. Percy looked at her to find that, for some reason, she was looking at the sky rather than the ground. Percy followed her gaze and saw to his horror that Harry falling to his death. Percy leapt to his feet and fumbled for his wand but he was already too late. Fortunately, Professor Dumbledore had already acted and had cast a spell which slowed Harry down before he hit the ground. The headmaster laid him gently on the floor and hurried down to the pitch. The crowd watched as Professor McGonagall ran onto the pitch after him, conjuring a stretcher as she went. With the help of Professor Sprout, she took Harry up to the Hospital Wing while Professor Dumbledore dealt with the Dementors.

“That was so awful,” said Penelope, leaning against his chest. They were sat in the Prefect’s common room now, waiting for dinner which had been postponed by an hour. “I cannot believe that he fell from his broom.”

“I know,” said Percy. “Thank Merlin he’s alright. I’ve already written to my mother to let her know that he’s alright. It’ll probably worry her even more but she’d want to know.”

“What will?” said Morgain, another one of the Ravenclaw prefects.

“The fact that Harry fell fifty feet through the air obviously… he’s a close family friend.”

“So what? He survived, didn’t he? I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“Yes, he survived… I’m unsure what point you’re trying to make, Morgain. Just because he survived it doesn’t then mean that she won’t worry. Harry may be alive but he has still been through a horrific ordeal, or do you believe that falling from such a height is all but a walk in the park? Furthermore, it was the presence of the Dementors that caused his fall, and since we won’t be released from their presence in the foreseeable future, there’s a chance that something like this could happen again. So, yes, I am sure that she’ll be exceptionally worried.”

Morgain merely shrugged in response.

“Look, Percy. Please don’t take this the wrong way but, don’t you think he was… milking it a bit?” said Robert.

“Milking it…?” said Percy incredulously.

“Yeah. Personally, ever since Black escape, I only feel safe in my bed because the Dementors are here. I’d rather they were here, protecting us all, than him,” said Robert.

Percy bit back an angry retort.

“I see your point,” said Penelope. Percy turned to her in shock and could feel the heat rise up inside him. “However, I wouldn’t say that Harry was milking it. I too feel safe because of the Dementors but that comment is harsh and untrue from my point of view.”

“Maybe it is harsh, but I stand by it.”

Again, Percy held back his anger and the conversation moved on. He barely joined in the chat and had become extremely subdued, which continued over dinner. During the main course, Ginny had spotted him and ran over with tears streaming down her face. It took a long time to soothe her but Percy finally persuaded her to eat some dinner. After pudding had finished, Fred and George led her back up to the common room. Ginny was still sniffing slightly and her eyes were bloodshot but, for the most part, she seemed to be ok.

After they left, Penelope came over and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. She asked him to join her and the others in the prefect’s common room but Percy wanted to spend some time alone. He watched her walk away without regret and then stared down at the patterns in the wood.

It was quite a while later when he finally left the table. The Great Hall was now empty, save for him and a few of the Hogwarts ghosts. Not wanting to return to the common room yet, Percy headed to the library and continued to read the fantastic book he had found a few weeks previously. It was called _Prefect-hood: The Road to Success_ written by somebody called O. L. Umbridge.

Usually, Percy found it easy to become engrossed in the pages of a book. Unfortunately, he couldn’t focus on anything at that moment because his mind refused to stop mulling over Robert’s words from earlier. The problem wasn’t that he’d found them offensive, although they were. It was the fact that he could not shake the feeling that there may be some truth to them. He, Percy, also felt safer due to the presence of the Dementors and would have disagreed if they had sent away because of this one incident. Because of one boy.

“Mr Weasley.” A harsh voice from behind startled him. “The Library is about to close. I admire your reverence for knowledge, but you must leave immediately.”

“Of course,” said Percy. He placed the book back on its shelf. “I’m very sorry, Madam Pince. I did not realise the time.”

“I thought as much,” said Madam Pince, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Goodnight, Mr Weasley.”

He walked along the deserted corridors with great urgency and took the stairs two at a time so that he could reach his dormitory as quickly as possible. When he arrived, it was to find the common room still unusually busy for so late an hour, most likely due to the horrible incident that had befallen their team’s seeker.

Percy decided to leave it to the prefects to get everybody to bed on time and made his way to his dormitory, intending to get an early night. He made a quick stop at the bathrooms to brush his teeth and wash his face. When he reached the room he shared with three others, he was glad to find it empty. He found his pyjamas freshly laundered on top of his bed and immediately stripped down to his underwear to put them on.

“Well, isn’t that a sight for sore eyes,” a voice behind him called.

Percy spun around, his heart beating heavily. He found Oliver Wood perched on the windowsill beside his bed, looking thoroughly downtrodden.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” Percy muttered.

He could feel his ears turning red and he hastily pulled his pyjama bottoms over his legs.

“I don’t mind,” said Oliver.

“Well…” There was an awkward silence as Percy didn’t know what to say. He pulled on his pyjama top. “Sorry about the match.”

“Thanks.”

“Honestly, you shouldn’t feel bad about it…”

“No?” said Oliver with a slight laugh in his voice. “Why’s that then?”

“If you’d rather I left you alone, please just say,” said Percy coldly.

“I wouldn’t.”

“Okay.”

Percy sat down on the edge of Oliver’s bed, his body angled towards him. For a few moments, Oliver merely stared out of the window in silence. Percy was unsure of how to continue.

“It’s my last chance,” said Oliver, finally breaking the silence. “My last chance to win the cup and, I’m failing.”

“It was only one match,” said Percy.

“Only one match… yes. Yet, one match could make all the difference. If I- _we_ don’t win this year then I’ve failed once again and I’ll never have the chance to win it again. Gryffindor has the best team in the school! I should be able to do this. We deserve this.”

“Look, Oliver, you are being absurd. There is no doubt in my mind that you and the rest of the team _will_ win this year.”

“How do you know?”

Oliver gazed at Percy intently.

“Because, well, for all the reasons you said really,” said Percy. “You have a great team, you want it more than anyone else, and you work the hardest. You’re a wonderful Captain.”

Oliver smiled at him.

“Thanks, Perc.”

“Well, you are quite welcome, old bean. Now, get some rest.” He clapped Oliver on the back. “You need to st-“

Percy was unable to finish his sentence when Oliver cut him off by planting his lips on Percy’s. It ended as quickly as it had happened. Oliver pulled away and looked at him expectantly. Unfortunately, at that moment, Percy had frozen as though somebody had placed the _petrificus totalus_ spell upon him.

Then, the dormitory door flew open and their other two dorm mates strolled in. Percy jumped up in surprise, and then quickly clambered into his own bed. He avoided looking at Oliver for the rest of the evening.

 Finally, the last person had blown out their lamps. After a while, he heard the signs that the others were asleep but Percy couldn’t help but lay awake. So many thoughts were billowing around his head. It was a toxic mixture of confusion about what had just happened, how he felt about it, not wanting it to ever happen again while also wishing it would. He tried his hardest to put the ordeal out of his mind but think about it he did, unable to control his thoughts as he slumbered…

_It was a storm like no other. The rain came pelting down in huge, heavy droplets the size of golden snitches. Percy had run out to check that his venomous tentacular was safe in the greenhouse, there was no way he would fail Herbology due to some rain. Earlier that day he’d taken it outside for a breath of fresh air, and so he was sheltering it beneath his cloak as he ran to the nearest greenhouse hoping that it was alright. Fortunately, Percy found it to be perfectly fine when he inspected it. In fact, he was sure that Professor Sprout would have to award him with an outstanding grade._

_After he had made sure it was safe Percy needed to brave the storm to get back to the castle, but he didn’t fancy going back into it. Instead, he decided to wait it out for a while in the greenhouse and so transfigured himself a comfortable chair to sit on from one of the empty tables. He also conjured up some flames for warmth. Suddenly, the greenhouse door burst open and in ran a tall figure who was shielding their head with a cloak._

_“Help me close it!” the person yelled over their shoulder._

_At once, Percy leapt up and seized the door. They began to push. With their combined forces, the door closed and the two of them stood back slightly breathless from their excursion._

_“Thanks, Perc.”_

_All at once, it was obvious who the voice had belonged to. He’d been stupid not to recognise it at first._

_“You’re welcome, Oliver.”_

_Oliver Wood grinned at him._

_“What brings you out here?” said Oliver._

_“I was taking care of some_ private _business,” said Percy._

_“What business?”_

_“That’s none of your concern. And, more to the point, what were_ you _doing out here?”_

_Oliver’s grin widened at Percy’s tone._

_“I was down at the Quidditch pitch, testing out a new move for next week’s match.”_

_“I see,” said Percy stiffly._

_Percy watched as Oliver walked over to the chair he had transfigured and sunk down into it. Annoyed but not wanting to make a scene, Percy simply transfigured another chair and placed it a few feet away from Oliver before sitting down himself. They sat in silence for a few moments._

_“You’re quite a brainy one, aren’t you?” said Oliver, breaking the silence._

_He moved his chair closer to Percy as he spoke._

_“I suppose, one could say that.”_

_“Aye, you’re definitely brainy. I’m more of a sportsman myself, but I do decently in my classes if I do say so myself. Do you like any sports?”_

_“Well Quidditch, obviously. Other than that, I never really went in for any others. Apart from Chess if you count that.”_

_“That’s a very attractive quality, brains.”_

_“I- er…”_

_“You are very attractive.”_

_“Is this some sort of joke, Wood?”_

_“Joke?” said Oliver, placing one hand on Percy’s knee. “Why on earth would I joke about such a thing.”_

_In the next instant, Oliver had leaned forwards, head tilted and eyes closed. Percy found himself instinctively doing the same. He could feel the warmth of Oliver’s skin. His lips were parted slightly, about to touch Oliver’s-_

The slam of the dormitory door startled Percy awake. He saw that the others were already up and almost dressed. The bang had been caused by Charles having just left for breakfast. Stealing a glance at Oliver, Percy was thankful that his dorm mates had no idea of his latest dream. Percy resolved to never again speak of either incident for as long as he would live.


End file.
